Walking Holidays in Malta - Gozo

Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea the island is part of the Southern European country Malta and is the second largest after the island of Malta itself within the archipelago. Compared to its neighbour island Gozo is more rural and known for its scenic hills, which feature on its coat of arms. The island itself has a population of around 31,000 people (all of Malta combined has 402,000), and its inhabitants are known as Gozitans. It is rich in historical locations such as the Ġgantija temples, which are the world's oldest free-standing structures, as well as the world's oldest religious structures.

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Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea
the island is part of the Southern European country Malta and is the
second largest after the island of Malta itself within the archipelago.
Compared to its neighbour island Gozo is more rural and known for its
scenic hills, which feature on its coat of arms. The island itself has
a population of around 31,000 people (all of Malta combined has
402,000), and its inhabitants are known as Gozitans. It is rich in
historical locations such as the Ġgantija temples, which are the
world's oldest free-standing structures, as well as the world's oldest
religious structures.

Geography

Gozo is 67 km² in size, which is approximately the same size as Manhattan. It lies approximately 6 km northwest of the nearest point of Malta, is of oval form, and is 14 km in length and 7.25 km in width.

Gozo is famed for its character and places of interest. Some of these are the Calypso cave, the Ġgantija Neolithic temples which is the oldest man made structure. It is more picturesque than the larger sister island of Malta, and the land is more fertile.

One of Gozo's finest attributes is the stunning Ramla Bay, whose lurid orange-red sand and crystal clear turquoise waters make it one of the finest beaches in Europe. Nearby San Blas is another world-class beach.

Connection to Malta Island

Gozitans have a very strong identity within Malta as a whole country and Gozo is the only region in Malta which has a Minister responsible for it. Generally speaking, Gozo is more socially conservative than the rest of the country.

The construction of a bridge between mainland Malta and Gozo was the subject of controversy for years. In the early 1970s the newly elected Socialist Administration started the building of a bridge between the two islands, but this was stopped after protests from the Gozitan part. There was previously a helicopter service which connected the two, but this ceased recently following privatisation.

Currently the island is reachable by ferry boat: ferries cross on a regular basis between the port of Mġarr on Gozo and Ċirkewwa on Malta. This service is used for goods, tourism and commuting.

Gozo is the second largest of the Maltese Archipelago and means Joy in Castilian. Measuring only 14km by 7km its magical atmosphere enraptures thousands of visitors. This beautiful island is steeped in history as Phoenicians, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, French and British have occupied the island all leaving their cultural mark for the future visitor to discover. There pervades a sleepy pace and rustic charm contrasting with its much busier, and larger neighbour, the island of Malta. The Gozitans are all very friendly and especially welcoming to English speaking visitors and English is widely spoken.